Finally, the new OnePlus Nord 3 5G will be coming soon in the Philippines on July 14. While waiting for its arrival, we have our final hands-on review with this all-around mid-range phone.
The OnePlus Nord 3 5G offers a flagship-grade experience having a good-looking display, powerful performance, fast charging technology, 50MP AI triple camera setup, and a smooth software that’s visually refreshed.
We had the Nord 3 5G for more than two weeks now and so far, the experience was pretty remarkable. There are features that we like on the phone and only a few compromises that we wish could have been placed.
So, let’s check out what the OnePlus Nord 3 5G has to offer.
What’s In The Box
The packaging box of the OnePlus Nord 3 5G is very simple clad in an all-black color and made of thick cardboard-type material with a nice matte finish.
Inside the box you’ll get the following contents:
- OnePlus Nord 3 5G Unit
- 80W SUPERVOOC Charger
- USB-A to USB-C Cable
- SIM Ejector Tool
- Quick Start Guide
- Safety Guide
- Welcome Letter
- Screen Protector (Pre-applied)
Design
Our OnePlus Nord 3 5G review unit comes with the Misty Green color variant. I like the Misty Green color as it offers a soothing and relaxing effect. The shade has light, cool with a nice pale green, and with a bit of celestial undertone.
It has a modern flat squared-off body with rounded edges at the corners and a flat frame design. It has a thickness of 8.1mm and is still lightweight at 193.5 grams which the phone feels quite ergonomic.
The back panel gets a smooth and shiny gloss finish that gives a gorgeous hand feel. However, the pleasant glossy finish will easily attract fingerprints and smudges on the phone. To solve this problem you just need to invest in a good protective phone case which is not included in the box.
The OnePlus Nord 3 5G scores good points in terms of durability. It uses a Gorilla Glass 5 on the back and a Dragontrail Glass on the front for added protection against scratches and accidental drops.
The phone gets an IP54 rating making sure that the device is dustproof and waterproof. It’s protected against dust, dirt, sand, and splashes of water.
The rear glass has slightly curved towards the flat edges of the phone.
You’ll find two large circular camera lenses that are identical in size and slightly protruding that house a triple-camera setup. The main camera is solely placed on the top while the two camera lenses are together on the bottom. Besides these large cameras are a LED flash and ambient light sensor.
The iconic and convenient alert slider is found on the right side. You can physically flick the slider to switch on the desired notification sound you like either in vibrate, ring, or silence everything.
It has an IR blaster which you can use as a remote control for your TV and a range of other smart devices you can add like your cable box, streaming device, DVD player, air conditioner, projector, AV receiver, fans, camera, lights, air purifier, water heater, electric heater, robot vacuum, and motorized curtains.
The front glass has a flat-screen with slim bezels all around it and a centered punch-hole cut out for your selfie shooter.
OnePlus opted to take out the screen plastic frame used in its previous model which makes this new phone visually appealing.
Display
The OnePlus Nord 3 5G features a 6.74-inch Super Fluid 1.5K AMOLED display with 1450 nits of peak brightness making it reasonably bright and easy enough to see when used during direct sunlight.
The built-in 1.5K AMOLED screen will have users revel in a transcendent high-resolution picture quality.
With a 10-Bit display, it’s able to produce 1.07 billion colors with greater color depth making any image on the screen more vivid and accurate.
It has a touch sampling rate of up to 1000Hz which responds to our touch more accurately and gives a smoother experience.
You can choose between Standard 60Hz and High 120Hz refresh rate options. There is also an Auto mode which automatically selects the best screen refresh rate base on your usage.
It’s so much better having this device with a 120Hz refresh rate for fast and smooth scrolling when we browse websites or check social media apps.
The screen has a standard resolution of 1240 x 2772 pixels, 450ppi density, and a 93.5% screen-to-body ratio for users to enjoy watching videos and playing their favorite mobile games with sharp details.
The phone’s display has been officially certified for HDR10+ compliance. It should be able to play 1080p HDR10 content streaming support on YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video.
For more color accuracy, the screen settings offer three color modes in Vivid, Natural, and Pro Mode. Under the Pro Mode, you can choose between two more color options either in Cinematic or Brilliant which uses the widest color gamut displaying more brighter colors.
Another display enhancement offered on the Nord 3 5G is Video Color Boost to simply enhance the colors of your videos in some selected video apps. There’s also Bright HDR Video Mode to increase the display’s brightness whenever you’re playing HDR videos.
Performance
Under the hood, the Nord 3 5G is equipped with a powerful MediaTek Dimensity 9000 octa-core processor with clock speeds up to 3.05 GHz. The chipset is fabricated on 4Nm technology making it power efficient, consumes less battery, and will produce less heat.
For its GPU it has an integrated ARM Mali G710 MC10 a high-end graphics card for smartphones. Based on the internet, the Mali G710 MC10 offers 20% in performance, 20% in energy efficiency, and 35% in machine learning (ML) compared to the previous generation. Definitely, this phone will be good for gaming as well as providing high-quality entertainment for longer periods of time.
OnePlus claims during its test lab with the phone that it gave 58.6% better GPU performance and 42.9% better CPU performance than its predecessors.
You get a bigger 256GB of internal storage providing you plenty of room for your apps, photos, documents, and other multimedia content. However, it doesn’t support expandable storage, so you can’t add a MicroSD card.
The large storage is accompanied by 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and the RAM-Vita feature can increase it further from 4GB to 8GB, or a maximum of 12GB as long as there is enough storage left.
With the RAM-Vita feature it enables for more applications to be used at once which is better for the system and software to do multitasking on the phone.
Here are our benchmark scores on the OnePlus Nord 3 5G.
- Geekbench6: 1086 Single Core / 3431 Multi-Core
- CPDT: 677.83 MB/s Sequential Write (4MB), 523.32 MB/s Sequential Read (4MB)
- PCMark: 10317 Work 3.0 Performance
- 3DMark: 7495 Wild Life (44.90 fps)
The Nord 3 5G supports an in-display fingerprint scanner with the sensor working very well as it’s fast and with accuracy. There’s even a face unlock feature though for us this is not as secure.
We do recommend with the safest option is to set the regular screen lock feature on the phone using either a numeric, alphanumeric, or pattern.
The device has dual stereo speakers on the top as well as on the bottom for a well-balanced sound. It is supported by Dirac drivers, Dolby Atmos, and Hi-Res Audio certified.
The built-in speakers delivered good overall sound quality with a nice timbre, clear vocals, and a good presence of bass making this phone a great option for listening to music, watching movies, or even mobile gaming alike.
With the Dolby Atmos feature, using your headphones makes a difference as you get a more expansive soundstage that makes your audio sound more vibrant and alive. You can also select the sound profile you like in the sound settings based on your content. You have a Smart, Movie, Gaming, and Music profile.
The Nord 3 5G is now armed with a larger vapor chamber cooling technology with a surface area of 4129mm² using copper and graphite material to offer good heat dissipation and keep the phone cool during long hours of heavy gaming.
The phone can play your favorite mobile games with some added game features to help you optimize and enjoy your gameplay. It includes a HyperBoost engine and GPA Frame Rate Stabiliser for faster game launches and wisely adjust frame rates.
Aside from the 1000 Hz touch sampling rate, you have a TÜV SÜD Precise Touching S Rating combined with its HyperTouch engine you get a more quick and responsive touch on the screen.
Better game experience with vivid haptic feedback thanks to its X-Axis linear vibration motor built inside the device that supports games like League of Legends Wild Rift, Fortnite, and PUBG.
Camera
In the camera department, the OnePlus Nord 3 5G is equipped with a total of three rear camera lenses. There’s a 50-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization (OIS) backed by a Sony IMX890 with a sensor size of 1/1.56-inch. The primary camera has an f/1.8 aperture.
You also get an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 aperture that can capture up to a 112-degree field of view using a Sony IMX355 sensor. The third camera is a 2MP macro lens with an f/2.4 aperture.
Turn the phone around for your selfies which are handled by a 16- megapixel front-facing camera with an f/2.4 aperture.
Opening the camera app, you’ll have four shooting modes ready at your dispersal with Video, Photo, Portrait, and Night modes. Selecting more options will open eight more shooting modes with Pro, Extra HD, Pano, Macro, Movie, Slo-mo, Time-Lapse, and Dual-View Video.
By default, you have 0.6x, 1x, and 2x zoom switch options accessible on the camera app. The digital zoom can go as far as up to 20x. Along with the zoom switch options are a Google lens shortcut, retouch, and color filters.
At the top end of the viewfinder, you have a flash mode switch, timer, AI scene enhancement, aspect ratio, and a hamburger menu for the other extra camera settings.
Another proprietary feature developed by OnePlus is the TurboRAW. TurboRAW helps reduce noise and increase brightness in every photo taken with the Nord 3 5G during night conditions. OnePlus’s self-developed algorithm together with the Dimensity MediaTek 9000 chipset will take multiple photos in an instant with different exposure levels, then combine different elements to produce good quality night images quicker.
Color filters on the camera app
I love the look of our images in daylight, with just the right amount of color saturation, contrast, and sharp details for my tastes on the main camera. The Sony IMX890 sensor really helps a lot in making the quality of our shots look good.
On the ultra-wide, it’s still upright with that 112-degree field of view perfect for landscapes and cityscapes. It can capture some decent images in good light as well, but it produces far less detail, and colors are slightly muted than the primary lens.
Dual-view mode splits the recording screen into two views
The image quality of our selfies and groufies during well-lighted conditions is pretty crisp and produced a natural skin color.
A selfie portrait mode does a good job with background separation. Thankfully, face retouching isn’t on by default but it’s available to adjust your skin texture, cheeks, eye size, etc.
Meanwhile, the images shot with the main camera during low light or nighttime are just about okay. The photos still get details, the colors look natural, and less noise. The quality of the ultra-wide camera is noticeably much softer than the main one. Using the Night mode will have your images come out much sharper, with high contrast, and saturated colors. I would prefer using the main camera during low light conditions to get a proper decent image quality.
Here are sample photos we captured on the camera of the OnePlus Nord 3 5G.
0.6x Ultra-wide, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
1x Main Camera, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
2x Photo mode, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
10x Photo mode, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
20x Photo mode, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
1x Main Camera, Indoor, Ambient Lighting
1x Main Camera, Outdoor, Cloudy Weather
1x Main camera, Indoor, Ambient Lighting
1x Main camera + color filter using Vivid, Indoor, Ambient Lighting
1x Main Camera, Indoor, Ambient Lighting
Selfie, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
Selfie Portrait mode, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
Groufie shot, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
Selfie, Outdoor, Low Lighting
1x Photo mode, Indoor, Ambient Lighting
1x Photo mode, Outdoor, Evening
Night mode, Outdoor, Evening
For videos, you can record in either 4K, 1080p, or 720p resolutions with available frame rates at 30fps and 60fps on the rear camera. Selfie videos on the front camera can only shoot 1080p and 720p resolutions at 30fps.
There’s an Ultra Steady mode available on the camera app that turns your phone into an aggressive gimble-like stabilization but crops in more so that the image can remain stable.
The phone also uses an AI Noise Reduction algorithm to improve the videos you capture.
Recording during the daytime performance is good with both the primary and ultra-wide cameras. The footage is stabilized very well even without using the ultra-steady mode but you can expect a little jitter when walking. The ultra-wide camera can’t record 4K video it will automatically set your resolution to 1080p.
Software
As for the OS, the OnePlus Nord 3 5G runs on the latest Android 13 with OxygenOS 13.1 out of the box.
OnePlus stated that the new OxygenOS13 has a 40% reduction in app power consumption. It also installs apps 15% faster than before which we experience we downloaded some needed apps for our test.
It doesn’t include a lot of bloatware but I noticed there are some duplicate apps like two web browsers, two file managers, and two photo galleries. Mostly, you’ll have some Google apps already installed on the phone like the Assistant, Chrome, Drive, Gmail, Meet, etc. plus OnePlus’s very own proprietary apps. The only third party apps that comes with it are Netflix and Spotify.
It has customization features like changing the icon’s shape and size, wallpaper, font, colors, and even the animation of the in-display fingerprint.
A new Always-on Display (AOD) is available on the OnePlus Nord 3 5G with the time, date, battery info, and notifications already on the screen. You can add and personalize your cover screen style or a custom pattern. Another cool thing with the new AOD is placing a Spotify music playback control on the display.
If you want to release stress or relax for just a few minutes, the OxygenOS 13.1 includes a Zen Space and O-Relax app. The Zen Space will allow your phone to go into a deep freeze for a certain period of time helping you eliminate distractions so you can focus on what you need to accomplish. It comes with two modes deep zen and light zen.
While the O-Relax is a new app designed to help you unwind by either playing a relaxing ambient sound, having fun with some mini-games, or exploring an alien world or cities.
OnePlus promised that the Nord 3 5G will receive 3 major Android software updates and 4 years of security updates.
The phone has TÜV SÜD certification for a 48-Month Fluency A rating making sure that the OnePlus Nord 3 5G will be as fast and smoothly running both at the beginning of use and after 48 months of use.
For mobile gamers, the OnePlus Nord 3 5G features a hyperboost game engine to optimize the performance of the phone for a smooth sailing gaming experience. Swipe down from each corners of your screen to launch its dedicated gaming tool panel.
Network and Connectivity
The phone has network band connections for 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G.
There’s a Smart 5G option when turned on will automatically assess the available network status switching between 4G to 5G and vice versa.
So far, we receive clear calls, and using the 5G network is fast on this phone.
For connectivity, we have the usual dual SIM with support for 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, and a USB-C port.
Connect your phone to your car display with Android Auto to show your apps onscreen, get driving directions or even answer calls.
Battery
Powering everything on the OnePlus Nord 3 5G is a massive 5,000mAh battery.
If you’re concerned about charging the large battery, don’t worry as it supports an 80W SuperVOOC fast charging technology to give you peace of mind. There is no wireless charging support either.
15 minutes on the 80W SuperVOOC charger refilled the battery from 0% to 51%. Then, the next 15 minutes gave us 92% charge on the battery. It took us only 36 minutes to fully charge the battery of the phone from 0 to 100%.
The Nord 3 5G has a Battery Health Engine feature that’s beneficial for increasing the overall lifespan and health of your phone’s battery. Combined with the Battery Health Engine technology are 15 temperature sensors and a bespoke charging chip to grant up to 1,600 full charging cycles from the phone.
To extend the battery life of your phone you can turn on the power saving mode or super power saving mode found under the battery settings.
The OnePlus Nord 3 5G was able to last us till the afternoon of moderate to heavy use. We were able to do the following tasks on the phone – watching YouTube videos, browsing our social media, answering our emails, taking photos, and playing games.
It’s a great feeling that with the included 80W SuperVOOC charger you have no worries about juicing up the phone immediately even if you’re battery is already low.
What We Like
- Good Aesthetics and Durable
- IP54 Rating
- 1.5K AMOLED Display
- 120Hz Refresh Rate
- Dual Stereo Speakers
- Larger Vapor Cooling Technology
- Powerful and Efficient Processor
- 50MP Main Camera + OIS
- Alert Slider
- IR Blaster
- Sony IMX890 Sensor
- 4K Video
- RAM Expansion Up To 12GB
- 5,000mAh Battery
- 80W SuperVOOC Charging Technology
- Software and Security Support
- Smooth UI
- 5G Ready
What We Want
- 5mm Headphone Jack
- Clear Protective Case
- Hybrid SIM Card Slot
- Protective Case
Conclusion
The OnePlus Nord 3 5G has some attractive feathers in its cap.
Let’s start with the overall design of the phone. It looks very attractive at the same time it’s durable with scratch and impact-resistant glass on both sides plus having an IP54 rating.
Performance is not compromised as it boasts of a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chipset, Mali G710 MC10 GPU, 16GB RAM, and 256GB storage. To keep the internal temperature of the smartphone under control. The phone has a larger vapor chamber cooling technology. With the aforementioned specs, the phone is particularly well-suited for multitasking and running demanding graphic-heavy mobile games.
I enjoyed using this phone on a day-to-day basis especially with the nice 1.5K AMOLED display and stereo speakers during my free time watching my favorite videos, listening to my Spotify playlist, and playing games for long hours.
The main camera is pretty good when used during bright conditions you get sharp details, the colors are great, and less noise. I like the video stabilization on this phone and capable of shooting 4K video. I would prefer the macro lens to be swapped to a telephoto lens instead.
Lastly, aside from the large 5,000mAh battery, the reality-defying speed of its 80W SuperVOOC charger is remarkable as the OnePlus Nord 3 5G can have a full charge battery in just 36 minutes. It’s fast and convenient in case you need to use the phone immediately.
There will still be a couple of features you may expect to have on the phone, but still, the total experience we had with the OnePlus Nord 3 5G was worthwhile. We can say that the phone shows off an all-round balanced spec.
So, if you’re looking for a spec-wised midrange phone, we would recommend the OnePlus Nord 3 5G for you.
The official price of the OnePlus Nord 3 5G will be revealed on July 14. We will keep you updated or you may visit OnePlus Philippines’ official website and social media platforms.
Full Specifications – OnePlus Nord 3 5G
- Price: To Be Announced On July 14
- Color: Misty Green
- Display: 6.74-inch Super Fluid AMOLED
- Dynamic Refresh Rate: 40Hz – 120Hz
- Resolution: 1240 x 2772 pixels
- Screen-To-Body Ratio: 93.5%
- Colour Depth: 10-Bit (1.07 Billion)
- Touch Response Rate: Up To 1000Hz
- Display Technology: HDR10+ Support, Netflix HDR Support, Amazon Prime Video HDR Support
- Peak Brightness: 1450 nits
- Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 9000 Octa-Core, 3.05GHz
- GPU: ARM Mali G710 MC10
- RAM: 16GB LPDDR5X
- Storage: 256GB UFS 3.1
- Rear Camera: 50MP f/1.8 (OIS) Sony IMX890 + 8MP f/2.3 112-degrees Sony IMX355 Ultra-Wide + 2MP f/2.4 Macro
- Front Camera: 16MP f/2.4
- Video – Rear: 4K, 1080p, 720p with EIS Support (30fps and 60fps) (Ultra Steady Mode)
- Video – Front: 1080p, 720p
- Battery: 5000mAh
- OS: OxygenOS 13.1, Android 13
- Audio: Dolby Atmos Dual, Stereo Speakers
- Biometrics/Unlock: Fingerprint, Face Unlock, PIN and Password
- Network Bands: 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G
- Wi-fi: Support 2.4G/5.1G/5.8G, Support Wi-Fi 6(802.11ax), Wi-Fi 5(802.11ac) 802.11a/b/g/n
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, USB-C Port
- IP Rating: IP54
- Positioning: GPS, BDS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS
- Glass Type: Gorilla Glass 5 (Rear), Dragontrail Glass (Front)
- Height: 162.6mm
- Width: 75.1mm
- Thickness: 8.1mm
- Weight: 193.5 grams
